A Hebron man is in custody on a felony charge of intimidation after police said he threatened a woman and her children after he purchased a $30 fire pit from the family and, a week later, claimed that it broke.
Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff’s Department arrested Christopher Schott, 55, at his home at around 7:16 p.m. Monday, according to a report. He told police they transported him to jail that he wasn’t actually going to go over to the victims’ home and harm them, but “his intention was to make his point clear that they should not be ‘scamming people’.”
The woman, who lives in Liberty Township, contacted police around 5:16 p.m. and said she sold a fire pit to Schott using Facebook Marketplace. The night of June 9, about a week after the purchase, she started receiving messages from Schott that the fire pit had broken and he wanted his money back, police said.
After the woman denied the request, Schott, according to police, sent her threatening messages via Facebook Messenger, including “I want my (expletive) money back! Or I will return with a (expletive) Glock,” and “You think you’re getting away from this think again (expletive) I’ll come for your kids.”
The woman told police the fire pit sale took place at the family’s residence and since Schott knew where they lived, she was concerned he would return. She also blocked his account and stopped communicating with him.
Police said Schott “spontaneously uttered that he sent the threatening messages” to the victim.
